Calibers Shooting Sports Center is stepping up its offerings with a bigger and better “multi-million dollar” sports campus coming soon.

The locally owned and operated company will break ground by August on the two-phase, 47,000-square-foot project at the southwest corner of Washington and Cutler NE. The 12,000-square-foot retail store and shooting range at 5600 Holly Ave. NE — where the company has been since it opened in 1999 — is no longer large enough for the business, said CEO Ryan Burt.

“What we’ve seen is there is an increased desire for shooting sports,” he told the Journal. “That increased desire for shooting sports has brought us to capacity here.”

The current shop at Paseo del Norte just east of Interstate 25 includes 2,000 square feet of retail space, a classroom that seats about 20 people and 18 25-yard shooting bays.

The first phase of the new project includes a 27,000 square feet new store and shooting range. The second phase will include three other buildings — a combined 20,000-square-foot retail space — that will house hunting, fishing and other outdoor sports retailers.

The new shop and range will include 3,800 square feet of retail space that will allow them to sell hunting rifles and accessories, items not well represented at the current location. It will also feature a member’s only lounge, two 20-person classrooms that will combine into one larger conference room, 24 25-yard shooting bays and six 100-yard shooting bays.

Burt said the new 100-yard bays will meet the needs of hunters in the community and provide better facilities for law enforcement agencies to use for training.

“There is not a 100-yard shooting range anywhere close to New Mexico,” he said.

The new range will also feature state-of-the-art technology that will allow shooters to know instantly how they are shooting rather than having to wait to see the target or use binoculars.

The company expects to open in the new location in the first quarter of 2012, he said. The second phase of the project will begin after that.

“The second phase will begin when we start recruiting symbiotic retailers,” he said. “That is the key to the concept.”

Burt said he could not give a total price tag for the project, because it is currently out to bid.